From den building to bug hunting, animal detectives to pond dipping, there's plenty of fun for any child's birthday at Avon Heath.
Den Building - join the rangers in designing and constructing your own shelter. Suitable for 6 year olds plus.
Animal detectives - an opportunity to see wild animal skulls, footprints, skins, droppings and other gory items with the rangers, then explore the park in search of animal tracks and sign.
Bushcraft Firelighting - exploring the park with the ranger, collecting sticks and kindling, then learning how to make a fire safely. Suitable for 9 year olds plus.
Mini Beast Safari (dependent on season and weather) - come and see what lurks beneath the water in our pond, look under logs for creepy crawlies and spot spiders in the gorse. The park provides the bug pots, ID charts and expertise if you are brave enough to join us!
Reptile ID and walk (dependent on season, weather and specialist ranger) - explore the heathland for one of the native reptiles on the park and learn top ID tips. Suitable for 6 year olds plus.
Mini Explorers (designed for our younger explorers) - make a paper plate pond, complete a minibeast safari or get full house in colour bingo. Tell us what your little ones love and the rangers will tailor it to them.
You might have an idea of your own, in which case have a chat with one of the rangers. We also have an education room and BBQs on the green available for hire if you want to organise your own thing (please ring using the contact below).
All parties include personal certificates and party bags for the children attending the party. Activities last about an hour with the ranger. Unless indicated otherwise we will try to continue the parties whatever the weather, however if extremely poor it may be possible to run an alternative indoor activity or parents will need to organise different plans for the day.
Most of the parties cost £9 per child with a minimum cost of £72.
Bushcraft Firelighting costs £12 per child, minimum charge of £78.
A deposit of £30 is required at least two weeks in advance. We take cash, credit/debit cards and cheques (made payable to Dorset Council). Payment may be taken over the phone.
How many children and how old?
A minimum of 6 children and a maximum of 15 children a session (maximum of 8 for Firelighting). The age varies with the type of event.
Avon Heath staff are responsible for leading the event, parents are responsible for the children. We need a minimum of three responsible adults to supervise the children and stay throughout the Ranger-led activity.
If you need someone to go off and collect picnic food during a party, we suggest you ask a different adult to fetch it or bring it with you before the party starts.
We recommend alternative arrangements are made for younger siblings as some of the activities are not suitable for small children.
Families often bring their own picnics - especially appealing for den builders as the children often enjoy eating the grub in the den! We also have BBQs on the main green available for hire.